This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.
A food waste disposer of the type that is disposed underneath a sink and is mounted to a drain opening of the sink typically includes a food conveying section, a motor section and a grind section. The grind section is disposed between the food conveying section and the motor section. The food conveying section conveys food waste and water to the grind section. The grind section receives and grinds the food waste and the ground food waste is discharged through a discharge opening to a tailpipe.
The grind section typically includes a grind mechanism with a shredder plate assembly and a stationary grind ring. The shredder plate assembly is connected to a shaft of an electric motor of the motor section and includes a shredder plate with one or more lugs, typically one or more pairs of lugs. The lugs may include fixed lugs that are fixed to the shredder plate, rotatable lugs that are rotatably fastened to the shredder plate and are free to rotate thereon, or both. The shredder plate is rotated relative to the grind ring via the electric motor. The grind ring is typically mounted in a housing and includes multiple spaced teeth. The teeth are vertically oriented and extend downward towards the base of the housing and are proximate an outer periphery of the shredder plate.
During operation of the food waste disposer, the food waste that is directed from the food conveying section to the grind section is forced by the lugs against the grind ring to comminute the food waste. Rotation of the shredder plate creates a centrifugal force that acts upon the lugs and enhances comminution of the food waste between the lugs and the grind ring. The sharp edges of the teeth grind the food waste into particulate matter (or ground matter). When the food waste is sufficiently ground, the food waste passes through gaps between the shredder plate and the grind ring and enters a discharge area in an upper end bell (UEB) as a food waste/water slurry (“the slurry”). The discharge area is below the shredder plate and includes a circular discharge channel in which the slurry is circulated and directed from the UEB out the tailpipe to a drain line.
A bi-directional food waste disposer rotates a shredder plate in two directions (clockwise and counter clockwise). A bi-directional food waste disposer typically includes an UEB with a discharge channel that is symmetrical with a floor of the discharge channel downward sloped from a first side of the UEB opposite a discharge opening to a second side of the UEB with the discharge opening to direct a slurry out the discharge opening. The discharge opening may be referred to as an entrance to a tailpipe. This design allows the slurry to flow downward toward the discharge opening and out the tailpipe while ensuring that fluid flow characteristics of the slurry are similar regardless of which direction the shredder plate is rotating.
A uni-directional food waste disposer rotates a shredder plate in a single direction (either clockwise or counter clockwise). A uni-directional food waste disposer typically includes an UEB with a discharge channel that is non-symmetrical with a floor of the discharge channel downward sloped from a first side of a discharge opening to a second side of the discharge opening. The floor slopes downward in a direction of rotation of a shredder plate and a slurry in the discharge channel flows downward toward the discharge opening.
The amount of time associated with transferring the slurry from a discharge area of the UEB to the tailpipe is a function of a volume and velocity of the slurry flowing through the discharge area. Rotation of the shredder plate imparts an initial velocity to the slurry as the slurry passes into the discharge area. When the slurry contains stringy waste matter or food particles of high specific gravity, the waste matter can drop out of the slurry and build up on a floor of the UEB prior to entering the tailpipe through the discharge opening.